Can I Say Goodbye
by Firalyn Tiatra
Summary: What if Syaoran never made it back from Hong Kong? Correspondence dies off throughout the years, and Sakura finally feels she has to move on. Based more off of the manga, rated T for possibilities in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Authoress' Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or any of it's characters, as much as I'd like to say I do; they belong to the wonderful artistic group Clamp. I write only out of my love for the story, so please don't get mad at me.

"…" indicates speaking

'…' indicates a thought

_Italicized_ indicates written

Can I Say Goodbye

Chapter One

_My Dear Syaoran,_

_I never thought I'd be writing you like this…I never wanted to be writing to you like this. It's been years since you moved back to Hong-Kong; have you forgotten me? It wasn't so bad, that first year or two. You'd call, and write, and chat online, but that all changed…_

_How many years has it been? We were both mere children when you had to leave…now we're both nearing adulthood, approaching the tender age of eighteen. Syaoran…you never came back to me. What happened to us? Was what we had only a childish fantasy? _

_I know I promised to wait for you until you came back, but I don't think I can wait anymore. I'm not saying that I no longer love you; I probably will for the rest of my days. You were my first love, after all…even if Touya didn't like you, I did. _

_I…Syaoran, please believe me when I say that this isn't how I wanted things to end! I'm not trying to justify myself in any way, nor am I trying to blame you. I've been waiting for almost eight years…I always envisioned you showing up one day on my way to school, standing among the cherry blossoms, holding Sakura in one hand, your school case in the other; I dreamed about the day you came back, and how we'd be together forever once you did. But…what does forever mean? Is it only the fanciful dreams of a child?_

_I don't regret anything, dear Syaoran. I just…can't take the waiting anymore. I should've written this long, long ago, but I could never bring myself to do it. But now…now I can; now I must. This is so hard to say, but the purpose of this letter is to tell you that…I can't think of any easy way to tell you this, so I'll just have to come out and say it: I'm leaving, Syaoran. Touya and Yukito are moving to America, and taking me with them. After all…Touya doesn't think I'm responsible enough to stay on my own with the way our father is gone on his digs so much, so he didn't give me much of a choice. But…I realized that I want this. I need to start over; a new place, new people, new me. _

_I don't know whether or not this news will affect you, but I had to write you one last time. Nothing was ever finalized between us, and I need the closure. If I'm to leave in peace, I had to tell you how I feel. I had to let you know…I had to say goodbye. So, my dear friend, this is it: sayonara._

_Your friend,_

_Kinomoto Sakura_

Seventeen-year-old Kinomoto Sakura dried her tears as best she could, trying not to stain the paper with them; she had already ruined five copies of the letter because they were too tear-stained to be legible. I won't cry, she thought, attempting to steel the emotions that threatened to overtake her. She looked over the letter one last time before putting it in the envelope that was already addressed to Li Syaoran. She took a deep breath and sealed the letter, a single tear making its way down her cheek. 'I leave next week,' she thought sadly, 'I hope he gets the letter in time.'

"Sakura! Get down here, kaijuu!" Sakura rolled her eyes at the nickname Touya still insisted on using. She made sure she had the letter in hand, then left her room, walking downstairs.

"Hello, Sakura." She looked up into the smiling face of Tsukishiro Yukito, Touya's longtime best friend and her old crush, now brother figure. "Were you getting ready for the big move?" Sakura nodded slowly, looking down at her hands. Yukito noticed the letter she was holding. "What do you have there?" She shot a look at her older brother to see if he was listening, but he was headed back towards the kitchen with some empty glasses she guessed he and Yukito had used. Since he wasn't around, Sakura lifted her hand, showing Yukito the letter and who it was addressed to, and he nodded showing that he understood. "So that's what the tears were about?" Sakura blushed; she had been hoping that no one would notice how her eyes were slightly red and watery, but Yukito always seemed to catch details like that.

"We're headed out for a walk, Touya." Yukito called back, winking at her. He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper and said, "Let's go get that in the mail, shall we?" Sakura smiled, putting her empty hand in his outstretched one.

* * *

Hi and thanks for reading my story. I'll try to keep this note short, since I know long author notes can be tedious. I know this was seriously short, but it's only the beginning to a longer story (not sure how long yet; too many ideas swimming around in my head). I'd appreciate reviews of all kinds; legitimate criticism is welcome, because otherwise I won't know what I need to work on. Anyway, this is sort of a feeler, to see if anyone likes my idea and writing style; if I get enough reviews asking me to go on (and just one may be enough for me), I will; but if not, I may not update this story (since no one is interested in it). Anyway, that's all…thanks so much for reading my story! 

Firalyn Tiatra


	2. Chapter 2

I edited this chapter, fixing a few things here and there...thanks to Wish Wielder, eugiebear, and shikonstar for pointing out my mistakes or discrepancies! Anyway, here it is, so enjoy!

Authoress' Disclaimer: Again, I don't own CCS or the characters; I write because I love to write, and I feel the urge. Clamp's work moves me enough to want to borrow their characters, so please don't sue or anything.

"…" indicates speaking

'…' indicates a thought

Can I Say Goodbye

Chapter Two

Li Syaoran sat in the large window seat in his room, staring at but not really seeing the trees and, in the distance, the city of Hong Kong. His thoughts were miles away, concentrated on a certain brown-haired, emerald-eyed girl who always seemed to invade his mind. He vaguely wondered what she looked like now…surely she had grown in, what, nearly eight years? He shook his head slightly, remembering how his mother had told him that he couldn't leave the Li family until he was eighteen years old; well, he was turning eighteen in less than two months, and he had plans. Over the years, he'd saved enough money to buy a ticket to Japan so he could finally fulfill his promise to the girl he loved.

"-oran!" He snapped out of his dazed reverie and turned his head toward the door just in time to see a book flying straight at him. "Ack!" He dropped off the seat and rolled, minimizing the impact; instead of hitting him in the chest as intended, it hit his shoulder. He stood, wincing as he rolled his shoulder around, then glared at his oldest sister, Xuefa, who was standing in the doorway to his room, looking rather impatient.

(AN: I wasn't sure what his sisters' names were, in all honesty. I've heard two different versions: Xuefa, Fanren, Fuutie, and Feimei; or Chunyan, Huan, Inna, and May Yu. I had to choose which to use, so I just chose the first group; I hope you guys don't mind!)

"What was that for?" She crossed her arms, mirroring his own glare back at him.

"About time you hear me. I only called your name five times." She rolled her eyes, then tossed her hair over her shoulder, feigning superiority. "Anyway, Mother wants to see you for some reason. No, I don't know why," she said to his inquiring look. "She's in the main room. Now, my book please." She held out her hand, waiting expectantly and trying not to smile. Syaoran rolled his own eyes and picked up her book, walking over to stop in front of her. "Your majesty." He said with a mock bow, holding out the object of her desire. She cracked a smile, murmuring the words, "At least you know your place, boy." She squelched the urge to ruffle his hair affectionately as he walked by; Xuefa just loved teasing her kawaii itouto-chan whenever she could.

"Yeah, yeah," was his only response. He walked down the long, oriental style hallway, with its red-and-gold carpeting and exquisite wall hangings, all the while wondering what his mother wanted to see him about. He couldn't think of anything, a bewildered look on his face as he stepped off the bottom stair and turned to his right to enter the main room. He entered and made a small bow to his mother, who was sitting in the middle of the room, on the couch in front of the oak table.

She was a beautiful woman; no, the word "beautiful" didn't do her justice. Li Yelan was tall and slim, with beautiful ebony hair that reached her waist; she wore no make up, nor did she need any; full, dark lashes framed dark eyes that seemed to look into a person's mind. Syaoran had received his light brown hair and amber eyes from his father, while his sisters had inherited their looks from their mother. His father had died when he was only a child, so she had stepped into the leadership role of the family; she was strong, and she knew how to handle herself in a manner appropriate to what was required.

Yelan nodded at his bow, then patted the couch next to her. Her low voice floated across the room: "Xiao Lang, come and sit." He walked over and took the indicated seat, his eyes subtly searching her face unsuccessfully for any hints of the reason behind this meeting. She looked at her son, her lips faintly turning up in what could hardly be called a smile. "You have grown into quite the young man since you returned to us all that time ago. No longer the boy you once were…" her voice trailed off, leaving him a little surprised at the compliment; she didn't often give them, and even less often was he the recipient. She shook her head, as if ridding herself of sentimental hindrances, and said "You received something today; a letter came, and I wanted to be the one to tell you about it." She indicated the envelope that he hadn't noticed lying on the table in front of him; she nodded solemnly at his look, giving him permission to take it and open it.

He reached down and took it, glancing at the return address; once he saw the name, he stopped, hand frozen as his eyes widened. It had been around two years since he had last heard from her, and he was shocked that he was now. He closed his eyes, a picture of the girl who captured his heart forming in his mind; he could hear her laugh, see the smile that could make him speechless, and the emerald eyes that mesmerized him. Without opening his eyes, he slowly, mechanically, opened the envelope and reached inside, pulling out the paper he knew was light pink in color, with sakura blossoms bordering the page.

Opening his eyes and taking in the sight, he noticed immediately something was wrong; instead of her typical even lines and practically flawless cursive that adorned every letter he had received from her in the past, this writing was…different. Shaky, as if she had been upset while writing, with a few small water spots on the page, as though she had been… "Crying," he whispered, the thought making him nervous. He began reading the letter, unaware of the way his mother's eyes were on him, carefully noting every emotion that came across his face as he felt it.

Once he finished, he looked up at her, stricken. He shook his head, quickly attempting to bring his emotions under control, but not quite erasing the shock from his eyes. His eyes dropped to the carpet, unfocused; "She's leaving."

His mother had no reaction other than to raise her brow at her daughters that had been hiding in the hall; she had no doubt that Xuefa, Fanren, Fuutie, and Feimei had all been curious as to what she had wished to talk to Xiao Lang about, but she also knew this wasn't something they needed to hear. Xuefa saw her mother's look and cringed, her cheeks taking on a pink tinge; then, taking on the leadership role of oldest sister, she shooed the girls upstairs. Yelan heard some soft murmurings of "Oh, that's so sad," "Poor Syaoran," and "I guess it couldn't be helped" as the four of them climbed the stairs, but Syaoran was so shocked at the news that he hadn't heard anything.

Syaoran shook his head again, trying to maintain his thoughts; once calmed, he looked at his mother, determination in his eyes. His expression and tone accusing, he asked quietly, "Did you know about this? Could you feel that something was going to happen? Is that why you wanted to be the one to give me the letter?" Yelan only looked at him placidly, asking calmly "Is that how you were raised to speak to your mother? Consider your words, son, before you say them."

"However," she held up a hand, cutting off what he was about to say. "your guess is somewhat correct. I knew something was going to happen; what or when, I couldn't say. But when I saw this letter, I knew it was the cause. I could feel something from this letter; you know better than to ask what or how, because I can not answer." He had looked down, ashamed at the way he had lashed out at her, even though his guess had been correct.

"Now that we've gotten past that, Xiao Lang, I'm going to say what I think. This is an opportunity; you've been pining after that girl for too long. Don't look at me that way; I'm not blind, I can see the way you get lost in your thoughts so often. I say it's an opportunity because the Elders wish you to marry, as is proper of the next leader of the Li Clan, and now that the object of your childish affection is gone, you can consider seriously their request." Yelan kept her face straight and voice calm, if not detached throughout her speech; she was so calm that she could have easily been discussing the weather, not her only son's future.

"The elders…? They wouldn't…" Syaoran's face went white, only to change quickly to an angry red. His fists clenched at his side as he leapt out of his seat. "No! I refuse! They won't rule my life, and my feelings are not childish!" The look Yelan sent him would have frozen water, but it did nothing to calm him down. She resorted to another measure; her voice as cold and hard as the look she had sent him, she commanded "Sit." After a moment, Syaoran complied, lowering himself to his previous position, his head down again, staring at his tightly clenched hands.

Yelan tipped his chin up so he was looking at her, searching his face as he had hers only a matter of minutes ago. "You say it's not childish, do you? Then prove it; what is it you wish to do, Xiao Lang? If you are a man, you must act like it, not a spoiled toddler getting his favorite toy taken away from him." She pulled her hand back, still staring at him and waiting for an answer.

Syaoran closed his eyes, seeing his memories of times with Sakura. Giving her the bear. Her giving him a pencil case for Saint White's Day. Protecting her as she tamed the cards. Comforting her after she was rejected by Yukito. Sitting on the swings, staring at the sky so many times when they talked. Her tear-stained face as she told him goodbye. "I'll go to her." It was merely a whisper, sounding more a feeble hope than something he'd act on. His mother went rigid for a moment before responding with "What did you say?"

Syaoran opened his eyes, looking her in the face. "I'll go to her. I can, and I will. It's the least I can do. You forbade me from leaving until I was eighteen, but I'm going to leave now. I have the money for a ticket to Japan, so you can't stop me. I'm sorry to disobey you, Mother, but this is too important to me…she is too important to me." With that, he stood, raising her hand to his lips in a respectful kiss, then leaving the room.

His quick departure didn't allow for him to see the small, quivering but proud smile that appeared on his mother's face as well as the tears of love for her son that gathered in her eyes. She allowed her head to drop onto the couch behind her, shutting her eyes and tilting her face as she let the tension ease slowly out of her body. She didn't want to appear the heartless mother, really she didn't; she cared deeply for her son even if she seemed overly distant in her manner. But what she had said was true; the Elders were starting to irritate her with their constant badgering about Syaoran's future marital partner. Not that she cared, exactly…the boy wasn't even eighteen, for heaven's sake! Not to mention the fact that Li Yelan was not a woman to bend to the will of others, nor to allow them to instruct her on what to do particularly with her own children. She had often been described as iron willed in her business dealings, so it wasn't all the Elders that made her act as she had with her boy.

She opened her eyes, directing them to the portraits that hung on the wall on the other side of the room, near the door. She had seen the way Syaoran was distracted, the way he'd stare at nothing in particular when gathered at meals, or the way he sometimes wandered the halls or the grounds restlessly. She hated seeing her youngest child in that state; it hurt her to see him that way, as it would any mother. She knew that, if properly…provoked, Syaoran would act on his feelings. Whether or not he loved the girl he had met in the small Japanese town…well, she trusted his decision on that issue, and so would not question. But at the same time, he still needed a push in the right direction, and so once she'd begun to get the feeling something would happen, and again when she'd seen the letter, she decided that it was time.

..  
...  
...

I edited this chapter, correcting some errors pointed out to me, and fixing a few things I didn't like. If this is your second tiem reading it, I hope you liked it better; if it was your first, then I hope you liked it as is! Let me know if other things need to be changed, thanks!

Firalyn Tiatra


	3. Chapter 3

No, I'm not dead or anything! Just got bogged down with technical difficulties and school...you know how it goes. Just wanted to let you all know that I edited some of chapter two because of errors and problems pointed out. Anyway, no rant from me here; enjoy the story!

Summary: What if Syaoran never made it back from Hong Kong? Correspondence dies off throughout the years, and Sakura finally feels she has to move on. Based more off of the manga; rated T for possibilities in later chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own the charactersor songs I use (Prism and Ki Ni Naratsu); they belong to CCS and Clamp.

Can I Say Goodbye?  
Chapter Three

Sakura finished closing yet another box with a sigh, trying unsuccessfully to blow her bangs out of her emerald eyes. She had her long, brown hair up in a high ponytail in order to keep it out of her face as she continued the seemingly endless process of packing, but her layers just wouldn't stay. She straightened up, looking around the room trying to figure out what to pack next; after all, she, Touya, and Yukito were leaving late the next night. Sakura plopped down on her bed, flopping backwards comfortably. 'I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow…no, I can't believe we're leaving at all!" She closed her eyes, thinking about having to leave the one place she'd always called home.

She stared at the ceiling for awhile, her mind wandering from memory to memory that she had in the tiny town. Meeting each of her friends, the latte nights in Penguin Park, the fun sleepovers, rollerblading to school…she stopped and giggled at that last one. _I sure hope I'm better at getting to school on time when we move!_

Sitting up, Sakura glanced around her room, looking at what she still needed to pack and what she was leaving here. "Let's see…I've already gone through and picked out most of the clothes I'm taking, and some of my books that I can't bare to leave are already boxed up. What else…" she muttered, trailing off as her eyes came to rest on her stuffed animals.

(A/N: Yes, I know, a seventeen-year-old girl with a bunch of stuffed animals on display in her room might sound rather ridiculous, but hey, what can I say? It's Sakura…and I've got some too, so I see no problems.)

She stood up, dragging the box of books and pictures over to the chair that served as a display for the assorted animals. She ran her hand over them absent-mindedly, thinking about the different stories that came with each animal and trying to choose which she could take with her. Her hand stopped over one in particular as she touched the well-worn, somewhat faded green bear that she'd had for years. She looked down at it, sort of surprised that she'd fingered it; she looked at the box before giving it a small hug and placing it back on the chair. She went on to pick out the little pink teddy bear holding some sakura blossoms she got from Tomoyo for her tenth birthday, the cute puppy from Touya at her elementary graduation, and the pure white angelic bear her dad had given her for her sixteenth birthday. She placed each of these in the box before looking back and hesitantly picking up the green bear again; she stood there looking at and holding it for a few minutes before quickly placing it in the box as well. Looking at the rest of her animals, she said, "Sorry, but I can't take all of you along; Touya would have a fit if he knew I was even taking these four. You all know he thinks that collecting you guys is a silly habit, and if I were to make him pay to ship you to the US…" she shuddered, imagining the yelling that would ensue.

Looking around the room again, she grimaced as she noticed the piles of clothes sitting on the foot of her bed, just waiting to be packed away. Noticing the silence, she walked over to her radio and turned it on, mentally preparing herself for the task her clothes presented. As soon as she heard the music playing, she grinned. It was one of her favorite songs when she was younger, and she hadn't heard it in years!

Humming along with the song, she began with the assortment of shirts, folding and neatly placing them one-by-one into the boxes waiting to be filled on her floor.

_Kocchini kite jitto shitete  
Hora kirei dane _

Happano ue sotto hikaru  
Hora hameno suru

Fushigi ga ippai achi kochi de Dance shiteru  
Genki o wasurenaidette Message ne

Mawari michi datte suteki  
Mata aeta mono

Next came the jeans, shorts, skirts and the like, by now singing along instead of humming.

_Maho no dane sono egao  
Nanka hotto suruyo  
Tenshi ga ippai Pocket de Dance shiteru  
Jibuun o shinjite netteiu Message ne  
_

_Suteki ga ippai achi kochi de Dance shiteru  
Ganbaru hattoni sorakara no Present ne  
_

On to the random mixture of items; a few dresses, pajamas, socks, underclothing, etc., before she grabbed a pretend microphone and began singing.

_Nami ka arukana kono michino mukooni  
Nee ikoo hikooyo ikeba wakaruyo  
Tenshi ga ippai Pocket de Dance shiteru  
Kimi nara daijoobu dayotte Message ne _

Fushigi ga ippai achi kochi de Dance shiteru  
Yume miru hattoni sorakara no Present ne  
Kocchini kite jitto shitete  
Hora kirei dane...

As the song's music started to fade away, Sakura lowered her hairbrush, the best impromptu microphone she could find, with a dramatic flourish. Back to reality…eyeing the box that contained over half of her clothes, she sighed in irritation; she'd gotten too caught up in the song and messily thrown the items into the box. She sighed again, then knelt down next to the box and began to pull out the top garments she had thrown in so haphazardly. She'd just began berating herself for her silly behavior and refolding the clothes when the radio DJ come on.

"And that was 'Prism'; it's been awhile since we've played that song. And speaking of oldies…here's another classic that's been too long off the air; enjoy!" Another upbeat tune floated from her radio, causing her to gasp. It was the last song she'd expected to hear.

_Doko made mo tsuzuku aoi sora massugu miagete_

Sakura leapt up to shut off the radio before the song played any more, dumping the just-folded clothes out of her lap in the haste. That song reminded her of…him. A song she didn't think she could handle hearing now, not after that letter she'd sent the other day. She moved back over by her bed and sat down, somewhat dazedly, trying to escape the memories that had begun their assault with the familiar lyrics from the radio.

"Did you not hear me?" Sakura let out a yelp, slipping off the edge of her bed, surprised at the deep voice that came out of nowhere. She stood up, rubbing her backside while glaring at Touya, who'd taken her by surprise with his abrupt appearance in her doorway. He just smirked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

"Still as jumpy as ever; you might wanna try getting over it, kaijuu, or it could cause some interesting situations where we're going." Sakura just rolled her eyes at the annoying little term or endearment that Touya refused to relinquish and opened her mouth to offer a retort, but Touya was quicker.

"Anyway, I take it you didn't hear me calling you earlier?" He raised a brow and, at Sakura's sheepish smile, continued. "Well, you've got a guest waiting downstairs in the living room; Tomoyo just showed up, asking if you were ready to –"

"Hoe!" Sakura's eyes went wide. "I completely forgot we were going to the mall today!" she cried out, in an immediate panic. She looked around frantically, searching for her wallet. "Oh no…of all the days to lose something in this mess! Then again, it's usually not so mes—ah hah! Found it!" She triumphantly held up a small black leather wallet with embroidered sakura petals on the front of it.

"Thanks for telling me, 'nii-san! Love you, see you later, gotta run!" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing out of her room and down the stairs. Touya only laughed, following at a much slower pace.

A resounding "Kawaii!" reached him as he began his descent at which he rapidly turned around, deciding it would be better to just go to his room instead of listen to the girlish chatter bound to follow the yell.

Sure enough, as soon as Tomoyo had seen Sakura come in, she had let out the squeal. Sakura blushed slightly, even though that had practically been Tomoyo's greeting to her for the past ten years.

Sakura hesitated before saying, "Umm, Tomoyo? Shouldn't we be going now? And I'm so sorry I forgo—"That's as far as she got before Tomoyo cut her off.

"It's okay, Sakura; I don't mind, really. But you're right, we should get going," with this, Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's arm and started pulling her out of the living room. "My car's out front, and I'm driving!" Sakura looked a little worried at the sing-songy voice the dark-haired beauty had used in that last sentence, but allowed herself to be pulled along anyway.

"We're going now, 'nii-san; see you later, okay?" Touya smiled from the top of the stairs (he'd stood there, waiting for them to leave instead of retreating to his room as was his instinct).

"That's fine, Kaijuu; don't buy out too many stores, 'Moyo." Tomoyo tried unsuccessfully to cover a grin before giving up and muttering something along the lines of "You know me too well" before dragging Sakura again towards the door. She turned her head briefly and gave Touya what could be termed a suspicious wink, but Sakura missed it.

Six hours later – at the mall (other side of town, in the commercial area)

Sakura groaned, plopping down on one of the many benches offered in the large aisle of the mall. She glanced at her watch, then let her head fall against the bench back. "Tom, we've been shopping for six hours straight! I'm all shopped out…my feet hurt, and my arms are going numb from all the bags I'm carrying. Most of which are yours, I might add." Sakura looked pointedly at Tomoyo at that last statement, who just giggled as she sat down on the bench next to her friend.

Tomoyo pouted cutely. "I can't help it, Saku; you're just so much fun to shop with! Besides," she added, the pout gone. "who knows when we'll be able to do this again!"

Sakura looked down at her lap and sighed softly. It was true…she was leaving the next evening, and she had no idea when she'd see Tomoyo again. She bit her lip, trying to decide what to say to make Tomoyo feel better. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Tomoyo, only to hear her say, "Just think, Saku …the next time we do this, we'll so be hitting a mall in America!" She squealed slightly, stars dancing in her eyes at the prospect of buying her sweet Sakura-chan all the American styles she wanted.

"Umm, Tom…I don't know that I want to think that far ahead." Sakura grimaced at the same idea that made Tomoyo star struck. I mean, yeah, she likes getting new clothes…but clothes shopping with Tomoyo? A person doesn't go into that without serious mental preparations.

"You're right, Sakura!" Tomoyo turned her head towards Sakura, smiling in a more normal fashion now, dreams of American malls and clothes gone. "You're here now, and we have to make use of what time we have!" Sakura sighed, happy that she'd successfully distracted Tomoyo. Until she heard Tomoyo's next few words, that is. "Let's keep going!"

"Hoe…" Sakura let out the small trademark word softly, amazed at Tomoyo's energy. But…she was leaving, and she wanted to enjoy her last day with Tomoyo, so she stood up. "Alright, Tom, we can keep going–" Tomoyo pumped a fist in the air (very unladylike for her), "but first, I need to go use the rest room."

"Okay, Sakura; I'll wait here with the bags." With that, the auburn haired girl started walking towards the public bathroom sign between stores further down. Waiting until she was out of sight, Tomoyo pulled her cell phone out of her purse and quickly dialed a number.

"Hey, it's me. How are things?" She listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, a happy smile appearing on her face. "That's great! How much longer will you need?" more listening. "Awesome! We'll hit one more store here, and then be on our way; sound good?" Another pause. "Great!" With that, she flipped the phone shut and returned it to its previous spot in her purse. She turned around only to see Sakura exiting the small hallway and walking beck to her. _Just in time,_ she thought, and sprang up off the bench.

"Alright, Tom; I'm ready to go." Sakura reached down and picked up the various bags again, a cheerful smile on her face, before awkwardly bowing in a teasing manner. "Lead on, oh great shopping master!"

Tomoyo laughed and grabbed her own bags. "I've got just the place in mind." Her eyes twinkled merrily as she led her friend through the crowded mall.

"We're here!" Tomoyo announced, indicating the big store in front of them. Sakura glanced up at the window front, then cocked her head at Tomoyo, somewhat perplexed. She'd expected another clothing store, but they were at the door of a bookstore; not necessarily somewhere Tomoyo would pick to shop. Yes, Tomoyo did like reading, but still it wasn't quite her niche (it seemed more Naoko's type of thing).

Tomoyo giggled at the confusion on Sakura's face before leading the girl inside. "Since you're leaving tomorrow, I want you to pick out a book for the plane ride; I know it'll be long, and you love your books, so…this is one of my parting presents to you!"

"Ano…you really don't have to do this, Tom." Tomoyo dismissed this with a little wave of the hand.

"I know I don't have to, Sakura; but you're my best friend, so I want to." Plus it'll allow me to pick up the last thing I need, she thought, grinning mischievously. "Just take your time picking out what you want. I'll wait right there" she indicated a spot by the registers "for you so I can pay for the book. Sound good?"

Sakura smiled and nodded; this was so like Tomoyo, always sweet and thoughtful. Obviously she'd missed the suspicious grin. And so off she went to check out the new fiction books.

After making sure Sakura was out of sight and not coming back, Tomoyo walked up the register, smiling. "Hi, I'm here to pick up the order for Tomoyo Daidouji."

"Ah yes, one moment please, Miss Daidouji." The young man gave her a smile before he turned around, disappearing behind the door marked "Employees Only". Tomoyo leisurely dropped her bags on the floor, leaning against the counter, tapping her fingers out of habit. Not a minute later the door opened back up and out came the clerk holding a package.

"Will this be all for you, miss?" At her nod, Hiroma (at least, that's what his name tag said) scanned the item. "Would you like a bag?" Tomoyo smiled, murmuring a soft "no thank you", slipping the item into one of the bags on the ground beside her. Picking up her purchases, she headed back to her previous spot, before turning her head back towards the registers.

"Oh, Hiroma? One more thing…I haven't bought anything here, okay?" She sent a conspiratorial wink in his direction before nodding back to the shelves where Sakura had disappeared earlier. Hiroma caught on, grinning and winking back. "The customer's always right."

------Back with Sakura------

Sakura happily threaded her way through the shelves of books; even though it'd been awhile, she knew exactly where she wanted to go. Past the nonfiction section, past the mangas, past the science fiction, and past the horror (she gave a small shudder as she gave those books a wide berth; she still didn't like that kind of thing). _At last_, she thought; before her was the recently stocked fiction section, spanning the entire back wall.

She loved this place; at least, places like this. Libraries, book stores…anywhere with a large selection of books. Naoko was the best known of her friends for reading, but Sakura had developed a passion of her own for the pastime over the years, loving what books could do for her. Books had become a sanctuary for her; they provided a place she could retreat to when she needed it most. She felt like reading transported her to different places; whether it was another world, the past, the present, the future, another country, or simply another city, books allowed her to experience so much…and she loved them for it.

Her eyes roamed the displayed merchandise, passing over both familiar and unfamiliar titles and authors. He face lit up with a smile when she found a new book by one of her favorite authors on the shelf. She reached out and picked it up, reading the back, before tucking it under her arm and heading back toward the front.

(A/N: I wasn't sure what book I wanted her to read; I've got way too many favorites to have chosen from them. I thought about using _The Will of the Empress_ by Tamora Pierce, but decided to go ahead and leave it vague; use your imagination, I guess.)

---------

When she reached the front, Tomoyo was waiting just as she had said she would. She plucked the book from Sakura's side, taking it to the register and paying, then handing the book back to Sakura.

After they left the store, Tomoyo stopped and stretched, quickly checking her watch as she did. "What do you think, Saku; should we head back now?" She laughed at the shocked look on Sakura's face; the girl obviously hadn't expected to hear those words from Tomoyo of all people. "Yeah, I get tired, too. Plus, we did get quite a bit of stuff…unless of course, you want to keep going?"

This brought Sakura out of her shock, as she quickly shook her head. "Naw, I think it's a good idea to call it a day. We've been here for…well, a long time already. And I still need to finish packing…" she dropped her voice at these last words; it really was hard for her to believe that she was leaving, even if it wasn't for forever.

"It's decided then!" Tomoyo's cheerful voice broke the sad silence as she turned on her heal and led Sakura out of the mall, back to her car.

------Sakura's house------

Tomoyo pulled up into the driveway, again checking her watch before parking the car. She waited to lock the door until after Sakura had opened the back door to grab her bags; most of them, however, were left in the back seat, since they were hers, and Sakura lived in a safe neighborhood (only one went inside with her). "Thanks for coming with me today, Sakura. I had a lot of fun today." She grabbed the two small bags Sakura had in her right hand before giving her a quick side hug. Sakura smiled and returned the hug, softly replying "You're welcome, Tom; it was a lot of fun, wasn't it?"

She frowned when she got to the front door; it was locked, and it looked as though the lights in the front room were off. Though the lights weren't a big deal, Touya wasn't supposed to have gone anywhere today, so she didn't know why the front door was locked. With her free hand she grabbed her keys out of her pocket, opening the door and motioning for Tomoyo to go inside.

Still puzzled by the locked door, Sakura walked into the front living room, flicking on the lights before screaming. A loud "Surprise!" drowned out the shriek; in front of her were most of her close friends, Touya, Yuki, and even…

"Daddy!" She yelled before dropping the bags she held and launching herself at him. She hadn't seen him in two months because of one of the digs his department at the university had sent him on, and she hadn't been expecting to see him before they left. Kinomoto Fujitaka chuckled, opening his arms to catch his baby girl up in a huge hug. "Hey Princess," he whispered softly in her ear, smiling all the wider.

Sakura pulled back to see his face, her arms still around his neck. "O-otou-san…what're you doing home? I thought you weren't supposed to be here for another few months…" she trailed off, blinking her eyes in effort not to cry.

"I wanted to be here when you left, so I took three days' leave; they can do without me for that long." She felt herself being pulled close again, and hid her face in his neck, happy to just hug him.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed in her dad's arms, but when she heard the click and whirr of a camera, she looked up to see Tomoyo with her video camera trained on the two of them standing with Touya and Yuki, who had a camera trained on the two of them, all three smiling at the sight of father and daughter. She let go of her father, walking up to Touya, jabbing her finger in his face.

"You planned this, didn't you? Both of you!" She pointed back forth between Touya and Tomoyo, both of whom just smiled. The stern look she'd been trying to maintain broke as she threw her arms around Tomoyo first, then her brother. Touya placed his arms around his little sister, squeezing her when he heard her soft "thank you". He lifted her off the floor before setting her back down and turning her around to face the other guests.

He whispered in her ear, "Nothing's too good for my onee-san, kaijuu." Then he added, "I think you should go say thanks to your other friends, though; they helped."

Sakura looked up, her eyes focusing on the people she'd known since childhood, taking in each of them in turn.

Chiharu, with her copper-colored hair pulled back into a single ponytail, instead of the pigtails she would wear as a young girl. Next to Chiharu was Takashi, her long-term best friend/ boyfriend, whose stories never ceased to amuse and captivate Sakura, even now; and Chiharu was still bopping him on the head each time he told them (Sakura never _had_ figured out where she kept that toy hammer she'd whack him with). Naoko was next, glasses gone as she'd switched primarily to contacts years ago, brown hair still kept short, just the way she liked it, and her love of books and scary stories as they grew up. Rika, with her grey-blue eyes and long light brown hair let down; her soft and sweet manner, still shy of too much attention. Then, of course, was Tomoyo; what could one say about her? She still loved her camera, and was currently taping the gathering. With a hand on her shoulder was Eriol, the most recent addition to the bunch, and Tomoyo's boyfriend. Bluish black hair, long yet neat, mysterious blue eyes; he'd caused some interesting experiences when he first arrived in their little town, but had soon become a part of their tight-knit circle of friends. _He had stayed, unlike someone else_…Sakura caught her thoughts and mentally scolded herself. _It's not his fault he had to leave; besides, now's a time to be happy, with your friends._

She had been quick in replacing the sad look in her eyes, but Eriol had caught the flash. _Oh Sakura…I'm sorry it didn't work out; he does care, I know it_…he was surprised by Tomoyo's hand covering his own. He'd evidently tightened his grip on her shoulder, and she knew he was thinking about something, but wasn't sure what. He looked down at her, slightly shaking his head; her eyes questioned, but she didn't ask.

Sakura went around and hugged each of her friends; she was so happy that they were here! While it's true that she had more friends than this, these six were special to her, and along with her family there's no one she'd rather spend her last day with. _Well, almost no one…but I've said goodbye already, so no thinking about that anymore! Come on, Sakura, enjoy those who are here, and forget about the one who's not;_ after that little mental pep talk, Sakura felt better, the smile on her face once again becoming genuine.

"Sakura! Sakura!" Chiharu grabbed her hand, leading her to the table set up in the corner. "Cut the cake! Then the fun really begins!" Sakura laughed, allowing herself to be pulled along and obliging the girl's excited request. She couldn't but think of Kero…he'd always gone nuts over his cake and sweets, as she fondly remembered. But now he had been sealed back within the book…the book that the cards that were now hers. (A/N: let me know whether you think I should or shouldn't keep any amount of magic within the story; thanks!)

Soon enough, they were all seated in various spots around the room, happily chatting away and eating their pieces of cake. Appropriately enough, the conversation turned to memories that had been accumulated throughout the years.

"-member when Eriol and Takashi talked about chocolate being forbidden in England, and you actually believed them, Sakura?" Chiharu was doubled over from her spot on the couch, clutching her stomach because she was laughing so hard. Naoko and Rika both had handkerchiefs out to wipe their watering eyes, and the guys…well, we won't get into that; let's just say some of them had fallen out of their seats, more than once.

Sakura pouted, eyes wide and lower lip slightly protruding. "Well, what did you expect? Eriol was from there, and he sounded so smart…" Sakura trailed off, realizing how silly it all sounded, then re-joined the laughing.

Tomoyo had been taping the whole thing, switching the view from wide-range with everybody to focusing in on the speaker and those who were laughing. She had her fair share of laughing fits, though, but they didn't keep her from taping. She looked at her watch, somewhat startled to see that it had been almost two hours that they'd been sitting, telling stories and reminiscing. Turning off the video camera and flopping down next to Sakura on the couch, she announced, "You know what? I think it's time now…" Her eyes sparkled mysteriously as the chorus of "Yes", "You bet!", "Of course", and "Did you know that the origin of that phrase was –" (guess who said that? And yes, Chiharu's toy hammer made its appearance, whacking Takashi on the head before vanishing again) rang throughout the room.

Sakura looked around, somewhat confused as to why all her friends (Touya, Yukito, and her father had retired to another room some time ago, insisting that they had other things to do) was getting up and heading towards the door. She started to get up and follow, but was pulled back down by Tomoyo. "You, my dear Sakura-chan, get to stay here. Now, shut your eyes, okay? And no peeking!"

As bewildered as ever, Sakura complied, waiting for…well, whatever it was. She heard footsteps and rustling, but Tomoyo had placed her hands over her eyes, just as a precaution to keep her from peeking so she wasn't sure what was going on. "Ready, Saku? You can open your eyes now."

Once Tomoyo's hands lifted, Sakura opened her eyes and saw a small pile of gifts in the middle of the floor in front of her, and her friends were back in the room, eyes on her.

(A/N: I know I didn't describe the layout of the room, so here it is: decent-sized living room that's half-dining room as well. A large-paneled window facing is the front of the house, and there are two couches parallel to the window, facing each other (one faces the window, one doesn't) neither touching a wall. Behind the couches, toward the back wall of the room, is a dining table, but currently no chairs (put away for the party). Sakura and Tomoyo are on the one of with its back to the window, while Rika, Naoko, and Chiharu are by now seated on the other; Takashi is perched on the sofa's arm by Chiharu, and Eriol is casually leaning against the fireplace on the wall opposite of the doorway. Sorry if this wasn't overly clear…I tried. If nothing else, use your imaginations, okay? )

Sakura just sat there, mouth opened in surprise, before her gaze flickered to each of them. "You didn't have to do this, guys…it was nice enough having you all here!" Chiharu snorted and waved a hand, dismissing the comment, then Naoko spoke up. "Sakura, we all knew that; and I think it's safe to say we all knew you'd respond like that, but we did it anyway. Wouldn't you do the same thing if one of us-" she gestured around the room, "were leaving?"

Rika's soft voice chimed in, "That's right, Sakura. We did it because you're our friend, and we'll miss you when you're gone. We want you to have little reminders of us to go along with all our memories."

Sakura's vision got a little blurry with those speeches; she was blessed to have such great friends. A white kerchief was placed in her lap, courtesy of Eriol, for her to dry her eyes on. "Thanks…so much." The last part was barely a whisper, her emotion showing through.

Takashi laughed. "You're not supposed to say thanks 'til after you open the stuff, Sakura. Here," he picked up brightly wrapped gift and handed it to her, "open mine first."

--------After gifts opened--------

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the odd assortment of gifts piled in front of her; each was so like the person who gave it to her.

Takashi had given her an autographed picture ("So you won't forget the coolest guy in Japan!" which earned him a whack with the infamous hammer), and small book entitled "Stories: by Yamazaki Takashi", which he claimed he'd made just for her. In it were several of the stories he'd told over the years, as well as some he said no one had heard before; everyone just rolled their eyes at this.

From Chiharu was her very own toy hammer, to "Bop all the guys on the head with so they won't mob you," Sakura blushed a bit here, and then Chiharu nodded her head in Takashi's direction as she added, "or if you find any liars like that bum over there." Everyone but Takashi laughed at this, who let an indignant "Hey!" as though offended.

Rika and Naoko had banded together and gotten her a Japanese-English dictionary ("Just in case you have to look something up," Naoko said) and a CD by an artist they knew she liked.

Eriol's contribution was two four-by-six inch pictures in a joined frame. Both were taken on one of their more recent school outings, when they had gone to a park that had a river running through on the lame excuse of learning about nature; that was really just the principal's excuse to let them get out and have some fun (he was pretty lenient and cool, in most students' opinions). The first picture was of the seven of them all lined up on a bridge over the river, arms around shoulders and smiling for the picture they'd asked another student to take. The second one was in the same place, but it was their "fun" picture; and boy, was it silly! Chiharu and Eriol were on opposite sides of Takashi, each holding a shoulder over the edge of the bridge as if pushing him into the river; Tomoyo had jumped on Sakura's back and was giving her bunny ears, a silly grin on her face with Sakura laughing, and Rika and Naoko were mock fighting with each other.

Sakura let out a contented sigh, looking happily at the friends seated around the room. "Thanks, everyone" she said, eyes glistening. "You don't know how much these mean to me."

"Sakura-chan…" a soft, melodic voice spoke up from beside the girl. "You haven't gotten my present yet." Sakura looked at the raven haired girl in surprise, obviously confused. "Yeah I did…you bought me that book earlier, don't you remember?"

Tomoyo laughed mysteriously. "Yes, but surely you don't think I'd stop at that? Oh no…wait right here." Sakura looked around the room, but everyone else looked as clueless as she felt; of course Tomoyo wouldn't tell anyone else about this. She loved surprises…a little _too_ much, in Sakura opinion, but that had never stopped the girl before.

A few minutes later in came the girl in question, carrying a fairly large package…no, make that two decent sized ones. She plunked them down on the floor in front of Sakura, then took back the video camera she'd handed off to Eriol when she left, and pressed the red record button. "Alright, Saku; you can open them now!"

Sakura inspected the two wrapped gifts; one was covered in beautiful dark blue paper with silver stars, and the other was a soft, solid green. The green one was smaller and closer, so she picked that one up first.

Carefully using her fingernail to slice through the tape on the package, Sakura set about opening the item. After the paper was off, Sakura found herself staring at a stack of…CDs? She looked up at Tomoyo with questioning eyes; even though the latter's face was half hidden behind her camera, her smile could easily be seen. "You've got to look at the titles on the front of them, Saku; then you'll get it."

And look she did. Then gasped. Tomoyo had evidently found a way to put together a compilation of the tapes she'd taken as a child of her and her friends and transfer them to seven DVDs. "Now, that's not everything from throughout the years," said Tomoyo, her eyes still twinkling. "That's just some personal favorites of mine. Now, open the other one!" With that, she glued her eyes back to the camera screen.

So, without any other option, Sakura put down the stack of jewel cases and reached for the dark blue paper. Again, to the chagrin of the others who were as curious as her, she meticulously opened the gift. And again, she gasped. Sitting in her lap was a large photo album the same color as the wrapping with silver lettering sprawled across the front; "Our Years: May memories never fade." All the others spread around Sakura's spot on the couch, except Tomoyo who was, of course, still taping.

Flipping through the pages, Sakura found herself looking at pictures dating from kindergarten age to the past few weeks; some had funny little titles while others had explanations in paragraph form. Evidently, Tomoyo had gone around to friends and gotten pictures and/or interviews of most memorable moments and inserted them sporadically throughout the album pages.

"So that's what that was for!" cried Rika. The others nodded. "I was wondering why you asked me about that…wow, Tomoyo! How long did this take you?"

Tomoyo smirked slightly. "Well, with the help of my oh-so-wonderful boyfriend here," she swung the camera in Eriol's direction, "it took me about a week and a half to actually put together. I started as soon as I heard that Sakura was leaving. I wanted er to have something to remember us – and Tomoeda – by." She shrugged. "This seemed like the best way I could think of."

Seeing Sakura's confused look, Rika looked to Tomoyo and after receiving a slight nod, began to explain. "See Sakura, Tomoyo called us all up not long ago and asked each of us to write up some of our favorite memories with you, as well as if we had any special pictures we'd want you to have." In a slightly hesitant voice, she asked, "So…do you like it, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura raised her head from its bowed position, tears glistening in her eyes and a trembling grin on her face. "Of course I do! I just…I don't know what to say is all. Thanks, Tomoyo!" She stood up and threw her arms around the girl, squeezing her tightly. Then she proceeded to give everyone else hugs and individual thanks.

After the last hug, she looked at the people sitting in her living room. "I am so lucky to have such awesome friends…I'll miss you all, but let's not let tonight go to waste thinking about that!"

Eriol smiled, happy to see Sakura, who had become a little sister figure to him over the years, happy among her friends.

And they all stayed long into the night, talking and telling stories, with lots of laughter, a few tears, and new memories being made.  
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Next chapter: What's going on with Syaoran, and Sakura's departure...at least, that's the plan.  
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Hey all, Firalyn here!

Thanks so much for being patient in waiting for this chapter posting…I had an interesting time in writing this. I lost and found data repeatedly, and that was stressful; combined with the way school has picked up, it was hard finding time and motivation to write. I wanted to thank all of you for being so incredibly patient with me…it means a lot.

Sorry for the overall lack of action in this chapter, even though it was long…I'm still kind of setting the stage for the main action part of the story. I'm amending things as I go, since I didn't plan it out the best when I started writing (bad me, I'm sorry). Anyway, if you have any questions or see any mistakes, would you please let me know? I read over my own writing and I use spell check and the like, but I don't have a beta-reader or anything to double check for mistakes. If you let me know, though, I can fix them; especially since I don't particularly like errors or mistakes in my stories.

Thanks a bunch, you rock! Firalyn Tiatra


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